The partnership offers passengers expanded route choices and loyalty options when travelling between Europe, the UK and North America.

In December, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson scrapped plans to sell his stake in Virgin Atlantic as part of the joint venture agreement. 

Branson said his initial need to reduce shareholding was to “guarantee the long-term success of Virgin Atlantic” after authorities green-lit British Airways’ tie-up with American Airlines although he confirmed a deal had been struck between Virgin’s joint venture partners to retain his stake.

Starting on 13 February, customers will be able to use each of Virgin, Delta, Air France and KLM’s loyalty programmes and utilise priority boarding and more than 100 airport lounges when travelling internationally.

More initiatives being rolled out later this year include the launch of more codeshare routes, aligning schedules to reduce connection times and smoothing airport experience from check-in to baggage claim.

Customers will also soon be able check-in and select their seat through any partner airlines’ mobile apps or websites.

The partnership sees up to 341 peak daily transatlantic services operating with onward connections to 238 cities in North America, 98 in continental Europe and 16 in the UK, as well as a choice of 110 non-stop transatlantic routes.

Virgin Atlantic chief executive Shai Weiss said he believed customers were “at the heart” of the joint venture, “where seamless connections, a greater range of flights, unrivalled customer service and increased frequent flyer benefits will reinforce its position as the choice passengers most love to fly”. 

“One of the pillars of our strategy is successfully collaborating with our partners. Combining our strengths, our network, and our people allow us to achieve more together,” added Weiss.

Ed Bastian, Delta chief executive, said: “Our expanded partnership is a major step forward for all of our airlines as we deliver greater reliability, top travel benefits and leading service that our customers deserve.

“Today’s launch brings our historic, long-standing collaboration to a new level as we continue to build the partnership of choice across Europe and North America that sets us apart from the rest of the industry.”

Air France-KLM Group chief executive, Benjamin Smith, added: “Ten years after starting our joint venture with Delta, this new agreement is a major milestone that will even further reinforce our presence on the Atlantic, by allowing our passengers the choice between four major airlines combining their network for the benefit of our customers.”